Organic Lawn Care

Thread: Spider Killer?

I know I will probably get ripped for this thread. I know spiders are primarily beneficial animals, but I just got done squishing a BLACK WIDOW the size of a small dog! I have pets and kids on the way and would like to know if there is anything out there that will wipe these things out, preferably without killing all the other bugs and worms. I noticed that there are only a handful of the "home defense" pellet pesticides that list spiders as a target, and it seems like the can of Raid I emptied on this monster didn't bother it much. Is there a specific chemical I can buy that will kill spiders, or better yet an organic method? This was right next to my front porch (within a few feet of my door), if it was out in the middle of the yard I might not care!

First, black widows are no larger than 1" including the legs which make up most of their size. The head and abdomen are relatively small. If it was as a big as you say I'd think it was something different. I understand you were exagerating a little, but just how big was it?

Also, black widow spider bites are not as lethal as you remember hearing. No one has died from a black widow bite in over ten years. Also, it's rare that the bite penetrates long enough to release a significant amount of venom that could become lethal.

Instead of approaching the issue with a "kill everything" mentality; how about we learn a little more about the issue of our phobia?

A good biological control of most insects (including spiders) could be the harmless Daddy Longlegs. An increase in their population could be enough to balance the equation.

...and no, even if one was seen it doesn't mean an army of genetically engineered, Raid resistant black widows are present in your immediate vicinity. I've seen one my entire life and it was already dead. I was a little disappointed.